Death: Children

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Chief Medical Officer's report Prevention pays—our children deserve better, what the (a) top 20 causes of paediatric deaths in children under five years of age in England, (b) the top five causes of death from infectious diseases in children under five years of age in England were in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the (a) top 20 causes of paediatric deaths in children under five years, of age in England and (b) top five causes of death from infectious diseases in children under five years of age in England were in each of the last three years.
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths for the top 20 causes of death among children under five years of age (excluding neonatal deaths, which are deaths under 28 days), for deaths registered in England from 2010 to 2012 (the latest year available). A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Table 2 provides the number of deaths for the top five causes of death from infectious diseases among children under five years of age (excluding neonatal deaths), for deaths registered in England from 2010 to 2012 (the latest year available).
	Individual causes of death are coded by ONS using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The causes of death shown in the table are groups of codes designed for the tabulation of deaths according to ‘main’ causes..
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and cause are published annually on the National Statistics website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition-tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of deaths of children under five years of age for the top five causes of death from infectious diseases, deaths registered in each year from 2010 to 2012 in England1,2,3,4,5,6 
			 Year Rank Cause Deaths 
			 2012 1 Influenza and pneumonia 44 
			  2 Meningitis 27 
			  3 Acute respiratory diseases other than influenza and pneumonia 20 
			  4 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (infections) 18 
			  5 Septicaemia 15 
			     
			     
			 2011 1 Influenza and pneumonia 59 
			  2 Meningitis 30 
			  3 Acute respiratory diseases other than influenza and pneumonia 23 
			  3 Septicaemia 23 
			  5 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period(infections) 21 
			     
			 2010 1 Influenza and pneumonia 44 
			  2 Meningitis 27 
			  3 Acute respiratory diseases other than influenza and pneumonia 20 
			  4 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (infections) 18 
		
	
	
		
			  5 Septicaemia 15 
			 1 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 2 Cause of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth revision (ICD-10). More details about how leading causes of death are grouped can be found in an article by Griffiths et al (2005) available here: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?ID=1301&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=224 3 Figures exclude neonatal deaths (deaths under 28 days). 4 Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (infections) refers to ICD-10 codes P35 to P39 ‘Infections specific to the perinatal period’. Further information can be found on the WHO website: http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/P35-P39 5 Based on boundaries as of August 2013. 6 Figures exclude deaths of non-residents.

Electronic Government

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consultations his Department conducted with other Government Departments and agencies when developing the template for the pan-government web platform gov.uk; what pilot studies were conducted on the user-friendliness of that platform; what reports were prepared on the feedback from such pilots; what the cost was of developing the platform; and what feedback has been received from users since the platform went live.

Nick Hurd: GOV.UK was developed in an open, iterative, agile way, placing user needs at the core of design process. The prototype was shared with stakeholders and internal users initially as an alpha then beta version, providing the opportunity for ongoing comment and improvement.
	Information is continuously gathered from research, analytics, and user feedback and is used to inform development priorities. Analytical data is publicly available on GOV.UK's performance platform:
	www.gov.uk/performance
	The total cost of GOV.UK from April 2011 to the end of March 2013 was £16.2 million. This includes the cost of the alpha and beta build in 2011-12 of £4.6 million; and the cost of building and running GOV.UK in 2012-13 of £11.6 million.
	The establishment of GOV. UK has provided a substantial saving compared to the predecessor websites Business Link and Directgov.

Electricity: ICT

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of data centres on electricity demand; and what discussions he has had with the industry on ways in which demand could be reduced without affecting performance.

Michael Fallon: The Department has made no such assessment. The Government does, however, recognise that data centres are large energy users and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his autumn statement 2013 that we will introduce a climate change agreement for data centres. My officials, together with HM Treasury colleagues, are currently discussing with sector representatives, how to enable those parts of the sector that have demonstrated they meet the qualifying energy intensity criteria to receive a climate change agreement. This will be subject to the necessary changes to legislation and negotiation with the sector of an agreed energy efficiency target which will be included in the final agreement.

Energy: Disconnections

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many domestic disconnections for non-payment there were in (a) 2013, (b) 2012, (c) 2011 and (d) 2010.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about disconnections of domestic electricity supplies in its Domestic Supplies' Obligations Annual Reports:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Monitoring/SoObMonitor/Pages/SocObMonitor.aspx
	The following table shows the number of domestic gas and electricity supplies that were disconnected due to debt in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The data for 2012 was published in the Domestic Supplies' Obligations Annual Reports 2012 on 13 November 2013, so data for 2013 are not available.
	
		
			  Gas Electricity 
			 2010 813 1,988 
			 2011 331 921 
			 2012 104 453

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 576W, on Hinkley Point Power Station, what the evidential basis was for the conclusion that there would be no significant effect on Ireland of the new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), granted development consent for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in March 2013.
	The decision to grant development consent referred to the advice of the Planning Inspectorate that there should be no significant transboundary impacts from Hinkley Point C. It also referred to the European Commission's opinion under Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty that the disposal of radioactive waste from interim storage facilities at Hinkley Point C was not liable to result in radioactive contamination of another member state that would be significant from the point of view of health. The Secretary of State also took into account the conclusion of the National Policy Statement for Nuclear Power Generation, published in July 2011, that significant transboundary effects arising from the construction of new nuclear power stations were not likely, due to the robustness of the regulatory regime.
	The Secretary of State's decision to grant development consent is available at:
	http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/South%20West/Hinkley-Point-C-New-Nuclear-Power-Station/

Radioactive Waste

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the licensing of nuclear facilities to utilise the UK's existing nuclear waste stockpile.

Michael Fallon: The UK's inventory of radioactive waste and materials consists of a number of categories including: wastes (ie those materials defined as having no further use), spent fuels and other nuclear materials such as plutonium and uranium. Not all of these materials have potential for re-use.
	The Government’s preferred route for the management of the plutonium stocks is re-use as mixed oxide fuel (MOX) in conventional nuclear reactors. The facilities for the manufacture of MOX fuels would need to be assessed and approved by the UK's nuclear regulators prior to construction and operation.
	As part of its assessment of credible alternatives to reuse as MOX, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is also examining the use of fast reactor technology and an alternative form of MOX. Should these alternatives be pursued in the future, the requisite facilities would need to undergo regulatory assessment prior to construction and operation.
	Fast reactors, if commercially deployed, may also provide usage routes for some elements of the spent fuels stored, subject to appropriate regulatory assessment.
	The UK waste inventory includes some materials which physically cannot be utilised, such as vitrified high level waste and concrete emplaced intermediate level wastes. The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management spent three years undertaking an examination of practical routes for the disposition or use of higher level radioactive wastes. Their report (CoRWM doc. 700) concludes that geological disposal preceded by safe and secure interim storage is the best available option.
	The report can be found at can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236694/_CoRWM_3100_ Work_Programme_2013-16.pdf

Agriculture: Sustainable Development

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the objectives of the inquiry into the sustainability of UK farming and food sectors are; and how they will apply to Northern Ireland.

George Eustice: The Government has not announced an inquiry into the sustainability of the UK farming and food sectors. The EFRA Select Committee announced their inquiry into food security on 28 October 2013, with a call for written evidence from interested parties. Further information can be found at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee/news/food-security/
	DEFRA submitted written evidence to the Committee in December, which included contributions from a number of other Government Departments.

Air Pollution

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions his Department has advised people to stay indoors because of poor air quality in each year for which data is available.

Dan Rogerson: The Government publishes regular forecasts and information about air quality on the UK-Air website at:
	http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/forecasting/
	This includes health advice on what to do during high pollution episodes. However, it is not our policy to advise people to stay indoors. Historical data on this is not maintained. For localised incidents such as fires, explosions or chemical leaks, Public Health England (PHE) maintains records where advice has been given for affected communities to stay indoors. As it would take several days for PHE to collate this data, it has not been included in this response.

Burma

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the government of Burma complies with international law and grants citizenship to the Rohingya in that country.

Hugo Swire: The situation in Rakhine State and the rights of the Rohingya community were at the heart of discussions between the Prime Minister and President Thein Sein during his visit to the UK in July 2013. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also pressed for a long term solution on the issue of Rohingya citizenship that is consistent with their human rights and we welcome the Government's stated commitment to initiating such a process. Our ambassador discussed citizenship with the authorities and communities involved during his visit to Rakhine State in December 2013. Together with the UN, EU, US, Australia, France and Japan, British Ministers and officials continue to lobby key Burmese Ministers with responsibility for Rakhine State on the full range of issues, including the need to resolve the citizenship status of the Rohingya community.

Burma

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking in response to claims that ethnic cleansing is being committed against the Rohingya in Burma.

Hugo Swire: The British Government has been among the most vocal members of the international community about the plight of the Rohingya community. We continue to make clear to the Burmese Government that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them must be held accountable for their actions. This should be done through a clear and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. Further independent investigative work to fully establish the facts would be required for an informed assessment as to whether ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity have been committed.
	Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) staff are currently on the ground in Rakhine State, monitoring the human rights situation. We also continue to lobby the Burmese Government to allow the opening of a country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with a strong mandate which allows it to monitor the human rights situation in all parts of the country.
	We have raised these concerns repeatedly at the highest levels of the Burmese Government and will continue to do so. Indeed, the situation in Rakhine State and the rights of the Rohingya community were at the heart of discussions with President Thein Sein during his visit to the UK in July 2013. In December 2013, our ambassador discussed human rights issues with the authorities and communities involved during his visit to Rakhine State.

China

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the People's Republic of China about the detention without formal documentation of Pastor Zhang Shaojie of Henan Province, China, on 16 November 2013 and the subsequent alleged mistreatment of his lawyers.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of the arrest and detention of Pastor Zhang Shaojie and at least 20 of his parishioners on public order charges and the reported harassment of lawyers and Christians attempting to visit the group. We are monitoring developments in the case.
	Criminal justice reform and the rule of law, including torture prevention and treatment of detainees, has been a consistent focus of our human rights engagement with the Chinese authorities. We look to the Chinese Government to protect the rights of all its citizens, including freedom of religion, and we urge them to do so in line with their responsibilities under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Chinese Government has signed, but not ratified.

Christianity

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the international community tackles the persecution of Christians.

David Lidington: My Department is working actively at both ministerial and official level to keep this issue at the top of the international community's agenda, and to take action in individual countries. We are working to ensure that states take practical measures on the ground to implement UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, which focuses the international community on combating religious intolerance, protecting the human rights of minorities and promoting pluralism in society. During the UN General Assembly Ministerial Week at the end of September The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi convened a second meeting of international leaders to discuss what more politicians in particular can do to promote freedom of religion or belief and fight religious intolerance within our societies.
	We also regularly use international processes such as the UN Universal Periodic Review, EU Dialogues with third countries and Ministerial Council Decisions at the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). As an example, we raised freedom of religion or belief with the Chinese and Saudi Arabian Governments during their Universal Periodic Reviews at the October session of the Human Rights Council. In September at the EU-Vietnam Human Rights Council Dialogue we highlighted, with our EU colleagues, concerns about the reported harassment of religious groups, the delays in registering churches and the refusal of the authorities to allow churches to train pastors.
	Furthermore we speak out bilaterally, as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), did following the deplorable burning of Churches and attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and meet with local faith leaders to better understand their concerns. For instance the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson), discussed the situation faced by Coptic Christians and implications of the new constitution in his meeting with Bishop Yulios during his recent official visit to Cairo in December. We also lobby against discriminatory legislation and practices and support projects which address this and help to encourage co-operation and understanding between different faith groups. For example we are currently funding a series of grass roots meetings in Iraq, led by Canon Andrew White, bringing together people from different faiths to combat sectarian violence.
	On 15 November Baroness Warsi gave a speech in Washington stressing the need for an international response to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. The Minister announced plans to host an international conference in the first half of 2014 on promoting the benefits of religious pluralism to encourage countries to protect this fundamental, yet threatened human right.

Diplomatic Service

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK parliamentarians visited the (a) embassy or high commission and (b) residence of head of mission in (i) Angola, (ii) Democratic Republic of Congo, (iii) Mongolia, (iv) Papua New Guinea, (v) Indonesia, (vi) Equatorial Guinea, (vii) Venezuela and (viii) Turkmenistan in 2013, other than for the purpose of a ministerial, IPU, CPA or Select Committee visit.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office endeavours to provide guidance and support to UK parliamentarians visiting our posts overseas, when such visits form part of their parliamentary responsibilities. We are unable to provide information on private visits that individual UK parliamentarians have made to our posts overseas, which do not form part of their parliamentary work.
	In 2013, excluding ministerial, IPU, CPA and Select Committee visits, the following official visits by UK parliamentarians took place:
	(i) My noble Friend the Lord Marland visited the British embassy and residence in Luanda in October, as part of a visit in his capacity as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Angola;
	(ii) In May 2013, members of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for the great lakes visited the British embassy in Kinshasa;
	(iii) No UK parliamentarians visited the British embassy in Ulaanbaatar, as part of their parliamentary responsibilities, in 2013;
	(iv) No UK parliamentarians visited the British embassy in Port Moresby, as part of their parliamentary responsibilities, in 2013;
	(v) My hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell), visited the British embassy in Jakarta as part of Westminster Foundation for Democracy sponsored visit. My hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham), visited the British embassy in Jakarta in January, April, June and November, as part of a visit in his official capacity as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Indonesia. In March 2013, members of the APPG for trade and investment visited the British embassy in Jakarta;
	(vi) The British Government does not have a high commission or embassy in Equatorial Guinea. Our relations with Equatorial Guinea are managed through the British high commission in Yaoundé in Cameroon;
	(vii) No UK parliamentarians visited the British embassy in Caracas, as part of their parliamentary responsibilities, in 2013; and
	(viii) My hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), attended official functions at the residence in Ashgabat in January and November 2013, in his capacity as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Turkmenistan.

Pakistan

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken and plans to take to promote the protection of the Hazaras in Pakistan.

Hugh Robertson: We remain concerned about the violence faced by the Hazara population in Pakistan and continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens as laid down in the constitution and in accordance with international standards. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office closely monitors the situation in Balochistan as documented in the annual human rights report and quarterly updates.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2013, Official Report, column 626W, on Palestinians, what views the Government communicated to the Palestinian Authority prior to or during the meeting of the International Olive Council on the Palestinian Authority's membership of the Council.

Hugh Robertson: Since the Palestinian UN General Assembly upgrade in November 2012, the Government has been clear in our belief that the focus should be on the negotiation process. To this end, we have noted our concerns about the potential impact of any Palestinian action to upgrade their status in UN bodies or international organisations with the Palestinian Authority. We raised the International Olive Council with the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October 2013 in this regard.

Russia

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government has offered to the Russian government following the recent terrorist attacks in that country.

David Lidington: Following the attacks in Volgograd the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote to President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov, offering condolences on behalf of the UK. The Prime Minister assured President Putin that the UK stands ready to help Russia bring those responsible to justice and to prevent any further attacks. We are also working with the Russian authorities on preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics Winter Games in Sochi, including on security issues.

Syria

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of Christians in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The plight of Christians and other minorities in Syria continues to be deeply worrying. We have serious concerns about increasing sectarian tensions and believe that President Assad has deliberately tried to stir up such tensions in an increasingly desperate attempt to hold onto power.
	The British Government places great importance on the right to freedom of religion for all. We condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their faith or belief. We will continue to work with the Syrian people, countries in the region and our international partners to support a peaceful and democratic transition to a more open society that respects the rights of all of its citizens, regardless of their religion.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to prevent illegal migration onto the Turks and Caicos Islands and to reduce the number of potentially fatal journeys taken by such immigrants.

Mark Simmonds: Illegal migration from Haiti to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), a UK Overseas Territory, is a very real problem, as made evident by the recent tragic incident on 25 December 2013, which led to at least 19 fatalities. I discussed this issue with the TCI Premier during our bilateral at the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council on 25 November 2013.
	The TCI Government has constitutional responsibility for immigration policy and border control, but the Government has a fundamental objective and responsibility for the security of TCI flowing from international law, our shared history and political commitment to the wellbeing of all British nationals. The Government has therefore provided substantial support to TCI, including funding for a radar station and training for marine police.
	The Government is encouraging the Haitian Government to step up its efforts to combat people trafficking, and to discourage its people from undertaking the dangerous journey by boat to TCI which may lead to their death and almost certainly to their detention and deportation. We are also supporting the TCI and Haitian Governments to develop practical co-operation. A Haitian consulate opened in TCI in February 2013. We are supporting negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding covering deterring and combating illegal migration.

Dyslexia

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many primary school children in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools are classified as having a dyslexia type condition;
	(2)  how many young people in sixth form education in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools are classified as having a dyslexia type condition;
	(3)  how many secondary school children in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools are classified as having a dyslexia type condition.

Edward Timpson: We do not collect information specifically on the number of pupils with dyslexia.
	Data on pupils with special educational needs is collected from maintained schools, academies and non-maintained special schools in the annual school census. Where the pupil is identified as being at school action plus or has a statement of special educational needs, their primary need is collected. Primary need is not collected for pupils in independent schools.
	The category of primary need collected that is closest to dyslexia is 'Specific Learning Difficulty'. Data for the number of pupils with this primary need by type of school attended is given in the table.
	
		
			 Pupils with special educational needs with a primary need of ‘Specific Learning Difficulty’1 in state-funded schools2 in England, January 2013 
			  Number 
			 State funded primary schools3 30,360 
			 State funded secondary schools4-below sixth form (year 12) 37,190 
			 State-funded secondary schools4-sixth form (year 12 and above) 2,015 
			 1 ‘Specific Learning Difficulty’ includes those with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. 2 Excludes 1,030 pupils in maintained special schools and 60 in non-maintained special schools. 3 Includes maintained primary schools and academies. 4 Includes maintained secondary schools, academies, city technology colleges, university technical colleges and studio schools. Source: School Census 
		
	
	Information on special educational needs is published annually in the publication 'Special Educational Needs in England', which is available online1.
	1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational- needs-in-england-january-2013

Music: Teachers

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether music services teachers are (a) classified as having teacher pay and conditions and (b) under local council conditions and pay scales.

David Laws: There is flexibility for employers of Music Services teachers regarding the terms and conditions of employment offered. Music Services teachers can be employed under the provisions of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
	Alternatively Music Services employees can be employed as instructors under the local authority pay system. This is known as 'Soulbury' terms and conditions.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools are trialling nursery places for two year-olds; and what assistance those schools are receiving from his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government believes that high quality early education and child care has a positive impact on a child's later success and future outcomes. The evidence shows that starting younger, in high quality teacher-led provision, can have a real and lasting impact on children's development and life chances, particularly for those from the most disadvantaged families.
	We want more schools to offer nursery places and to extend these to two-year-olds. This will provide more choice and flexibility for parents and enable more children to benefit from all that a good school can provide.
	To support more schools to open nurseries and extend care to two-year-olds we are working with 49 schools, drawn from a variety of urban and rural settings, that are already taking, or preparing to take, two-year-olds. These schools will identify good practice, share their learning widely and encourage more schools to follow suit.
	The following schools are participating in the project:
	Benchill Primary School
	Bensham Grove Community Nursery School
	Broadclyst Community Primary School
	Brookside Infant School
	Canklow Woods Primary School
	Carr Manor Primary School
	Chesterfield School
	Crowmoor Primary School and Nursery
	Dulwich Wood Nursery School and Children's Centre
	Durand Academy
	Eden Park Primary School
	Goodway Nursery School
	Gooseacre Primary Academy
	Handale Primary School
	Hathersage St Michaels C of E (VA) Primary School
	Latymer All Saints Church of England Primary School
	Lever Edge Primary Academy
	Lillian de Lissa Nursery School
	Lord Street Community Nursery School and Preschool
	Medlock Primary School
	Moorgate Primary School
	Nell Gwynn Nursery School
	Netherfield Primary School
	Newall Green Primary School
	Norfolk Community Primary School
	Oakwood Primary Academy
	Oasis Academy Hadley
	Old Church Nursery School and Children's Centre
	Parbold Douglas C of E Academy
	Plumberow Primary Academy
	Richard Newman Primary School
	Robsack Wood Community Primary School and Nursery
	Shortbrook Primary School
	Sir Edmund Hillary Primary School
	St George's Cathedral Catholic Primary School
	St John Vianney RC Primary School
	St. Bede Primary Academy
	St. Mary's (C of E) Primary School
	Stoneyholme Nursery School
	Susan Isaacs Nursery School
	The Eldon Federation (Eldon Early Years)
	The Grove Nursery School, Children and Family Centre
	The Orchards Nursery School
	Tilery Primary School
	Trimdon Grange Infant and Nursery School
	Trinity Church of England Primary School
	Vittoria Primary School
	West View Primary School
	Whitchurch CE Infant and Nursery School.
	Schools participating in the demonstration project have each received a grant of £10,000 in return for their active participation in the project evaluation and providing peer support. The grant may also be used to contribute towards the development of appropriate resources, provide training for staff and for local leadership activities. Up to £2,500 of the grant can be used for capital purposes.

Pupils: Bullying

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what initiatives his Department has put in place to tackle bullying within schools and online since 2010; and what assessment has been made of their effectiveness.

Elizabeth Truss: As outlined in the Schools White Paper 2010, the Government has made tackling all forms of bullying one of its top priorities by striking a balance between schools’ legal requirements, freedom and accountability.
	Section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 for maintained schools and the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2010 for Academies and Free Schools requires that all schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils, including that which occurs online. Schools have the freedom to shape these measures in the context of their pupils’ needs.
	In the Education Act 2011, we strengthened teachers’ powers to discipline pupils for poor behaviour, including bullying. They can now issue same day detentions, confiscate banned items and search for, and if necessary delete, inappropriate images on mobile phones which might be linked to cyberbullying.
	In 2011, the Government published streamlined advice for schools, reducing it from 481 pages to just 11 pages to make absolutely clear schools’ legal obligations to prevent and tackle bullying, and clarify teachers’ powers to discipline pupils for unacceptable behaviour.
	From September 2014, pupils in all four key stages will be taught about e-safety as part of the new curriculum. This will empower young people to tackle cyberbullying through responsible, respectful and secure use of technology.
	In addition, the Government has pressed for progress through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and works to protect children online, including from the risk of cyberbullying. UKCCIS brings together the most important internet organisations, such as Facebook and Microsoft, and is chaired by Government Ministers, including the Minister for Children and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson).
	Ofsted now holds schools clearly to account for their effectiveness in dealing with pupil behaviour, which includes bullying. Under the current Ofsted framework introduced in 2012, school inspectors consider pupil behaviour and safety, which includes how well schools prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.
	Furthermore, the Department keeps abreast of research in this area and is funding a series of questions about bullying and cyberbullying in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 Crime Survey for England and Wales. This will give us a baseline estimate of prevalence and will help us to track trends over time.
	We are also providing £4 million of funding over two years from spring 2013 to four organisations: Beatbullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and NCB, to develop effective initiatives to prevent and tackle bullying. As part of their funding, these organisations have in place separate evaluations, which will report on the effectiveness of their varied initiatives to prevent and tackle bullying.

Schools: Finance

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on funding allocation for schools.

David Laws: The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has not had any recent discussions with local authorities about funding allocation for schools.
	I have had seven meetings with representatives from local authorities to discuss issues relating to capital and revenue funding for schools. This includes meetings with MPs who were accompanied by local authority representatives.
	Officials in the Department also meet regularly with representatives from local authorities to discuss funding policy and allocations

Teachers: Training

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have been encouraged by the National College for Teaching and Leadership to express an interest in becoming a school-centred initial teacher training provider.

David Laws: Around 900 schools currently offering School Direct places in 2013/14, including teaching schools and academy chains, were signposted to information on becoming a school-centred initial teacher training providers (SCITT) via communications within the teaching school newsletter in October 2013 and a School Direct bulletin in November 2013.
	Schools that express an interest in becoming a SCITT are invited to attend a 'potential new provider' briefing to find out more information. 38 schools attended a briefing in November and December 2013.
	SCITTs enable more aspiring teachers to benefit from the experience and expertise of some of the best teachers in the country.

Teachers: Training

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons and when Ministers encouraged the National College for Teaching and Leadership to promote school-centred initial teacher training in addition to School Direct.

David Laws: The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), set out the context for supporting schools to become school-centred initial teacher training providers (SCITTs) at a speech on improving the quality of teaching on 5 September 2013, saying:
	“As schools take more control over training the next generation of teachers, many of the best academy chains and teaching school alliances are now playing an even greater role in training the next generation of teachers as accredited SCITTs.
	We want to see their numbers increase, enabling more aspiring teachers than ever before to benefit from the expertise and experience of some of the best in the business—so we will be bringing forward proposals to support this later in the year.”

Teachers: Training

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will direct Ofsted to make a comparative assessment of the quality of training available through school-centred initial teacher training and other initial teacher training providers.

David Laws: There are currently no plans for the Department for Education to ask Ofsted to make a specific comparative assessment of the quality of training across different types of initial teacher training provider. Her Majesty's chief inspector advises the Secretary of State for Education of anything he should be aware of as a result of the inspections of all providers of programmes leading to qualified teacher status for maintained schools.
	However, a recent survey of newly qualified teachers/trainees teachers found that trainees/teachers consistently rated school based training higher than other initial training providers across a range of criteria.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were housed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation on the most recent date for which data are available in (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) South Lakeland; and how many such families included children aged under 16.

Kris Hopkins: The following table provides the most recent data available recorded on 30 September 2013.
	
		
			  Households in bed and breakfast (including shared facilities) Of which: include dependent children/pregnant mothers 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 1 0 
			 South Lakeland 0 0 
		
	
	This Government has retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million in the current spending review period to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions.
	The law is clear that families with children must only be placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation as a last resort and then for no more than six weeks.
	We are continuing to support local authorities to raise their game and have provided £2 million for seven councils struggling with increasing bed-and-breakfast use so that they can reduce numbers and develop long lasting solutions to this problem. The latest statistics show that, with the help of this funding, Westminster and Croydon councils have vastly reduced the number of families with children in bed and breakfast beyond six weeks. We publish performance data and have also provided £1.9 million for local authorities to take a Gold Standard approach to help them design and deliver more efficient and cost-effective housing solutions for vulnerable people.

Fire Services: Pensions

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many newly recruited firefighters have opted out of the firefighters' pension scheme in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Prior to April 2012, the Department did not collect information from fire and rescue authorities on the opt out rate among newly recruited firefighters.
	Between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013, excluding firefighters who joined on temporary contracts or were aged over 50 (and therefore likely to be already in receipt of a firefighter pension), 16 whole-time firefighters did not join the scheme, giving a joiner rate of 88%.
	Between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2033, excluding firefighters who joined on temporary contracts or were aged over 50 (and therefore likely to be already in receipt of a firefighter pension), 10 whole-time firefighters did not join the scheme, giving a joiner rate of just over 85%.

Developing Countries: Females

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the British Council about her Department's policy of improving the lives of girls and women through better education.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK places girls and women at the centre of its approach to education in developing countries as part of its Strategic Vision for Women and Girls. The UK's flagship £355 million Girls' Education Challenge will enable up to 1 million of the world's poorest girls to receive a quality education in primary and secondary school, to help transform their lives. I have had no recent discussions with the British Council specifically on girls' education but we do engage with them on all aspects of education and we have recently been in partnership through the Developing Partnerships in Higher Education Programme (Delphe) which ended in June this year-though further discussions on this programme are still ongoing. I and my officials would be happy to meet at the soonest opportunity with any organisation sharing our commitment to this important issue.

South Sudan

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent conflict in South Sudan on the number of (a) internally-displaced persons, (b) people subject to food insecurity and (c) young people in full-time education in that country.

Lynne Featherstone: The current crisis in South Sudan has seen the number of conflict internally displaced people (IDPs) increase rapidly by more than 200,000 from just over 188,000 in late 2013 to approximately 400,000 today. Given the scale and intensity of the violence, and lack of access to key affected areas, the real number is likely to be much higher.
	The number of people severely food insecure in South Sudan was estimated to be one million prior to the current crisis. Violence and displacement has resulted in the loss of livelihoods, particularly sources of food due to disruption in agricultural and pastoral practices, although active hostilities are impeding the ability of agencies to conduct a full assessment. As long as the conflict is ongoing, it is likely that severe food insecurity will increase, and IDP figures will escalate. Humanitarian agencies' priorities are to protect civilians from the ongoing violence and reach people affected by the crisis with assistance, including the provision of food. The UK has provided £12.5 million to the current crisis.
	Schools in South Sudan are ordinarily closed until February, and in some northern states this can be as late as April. We have therefore not yet seen any negative impact of the conflict on school attendance although it is not yet clear if school buildings, books and other materials have been damaged in areas of conflict. DFID has existing education programmes in South Sudan and we will be reviewing over the coming weeks how best to continue or adapt our support in the light of the evolving situation.

Betting Shops: Licensing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many appeals against refusals of applications for betting shop licences were heard by local authority licensing committees in the last year; and in how many cases the refusal was upheld.

Helen Grant: Licensing authorities are not required to report details of licensing committee appeals to the gambling regulator. Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or the Gambling Commission holds this information.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on promoting competition in provision of superfast broadband infrastructure; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Government aims to create the regulatory and economic conditions to enable competition to thrive in the provision of superfast broadband. The UK has one of the most competitive markets in Europe with customers able to experience excellent choice of services and prices. This has been achieved with appropriate and proportionate market regulation by Ofcom, established by carrying out detailed market reviews. This Government has also taken a number of actions to facilitate investment in infrastructure including ensuring access to BT's poles and ducts, streamlining planning rules and issuing new guidance on streetworks.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the progress BDUK has made towards its three business aims agreed with her Department in 2011.

Edward Vaizey: Substantial progress has been made by DCMS, including BDUK, in delivering on these aims which fall under the overarching objective to stimulate private sector investment in order to deliver the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015. The strategy for this objective was set out in Britain's Superfast Broadband Future published in December 2010 with a number of its detailed actions and objectives being refreshed in 2012.
	Progress includes ensuring access to BT's poles and ducts through the Passive Infrastructure Access (PIA) rule, significantly opening up investment opportunities for new providers and increasing coverage to the middle and “final third” of the population. In addition, a number of utility companies have entered into commercial agreements with Communications Providers and allowed their infrastructure to be used to deploy superfast broadband.
	Guidance on micro-trenching and street works issued in November 2011 to support local planning authorities in their understanding of the technical issues and speed up the planning decision process. Planning regulations were also relaxed last year to speed up the deployment of fixed broadband and mobile infrastructure and reduce costs to communications providers.
	All of the community led pilot projects, Highlands and Islands, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Herefordshire are in delivery and Broadband Delivery UK published the learning from the pilots in November 2011. Broadband Delivery UK allocated funding to project areas in August 2011. All enterprise zones are covered by plans for delivering superfast broadband. More generally, BDUK-funded projects are now making superfast broadband available to 10,000 homes a week, which will rise to 40,000 premises per week later this year.
	The cumulative effect of these and other measures have directly contributed to the UK being in the top three EU member states for broadband coverage, take-up, usage and choice.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of progress towards EU standard charges for mobile telephones.

Edward Vaizey: The EU’s third roaming regulation took direct effect in the UK in July 2012 and, as well as measures to promote competition, continues the downward glide path on caps for voice, data and SMS charges for consumers while they are roaming in Europe.
	The Government published a Telecommunications Consumer Action plan in December 2013, an agreement between Government and the main telecommunication operators about how to work together, with Ofcom, in the key areas that impact on consumers’ bills. The Government has made it clear in its 17 September announcement that we would like to see an end to mobile roaming charges within the EU. We will work with industry to develop a negotiating position with the aim of eliminating mobile roaming charges within the EU by 2016.

Basic Skills

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provided for delivery of basic skills training by (a) providers graded 1 or 2 by Ofsted and (b) other providers in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: The funding for basic skills training from the Adult Skills Budget for the past three academic years is set out in the following table. The figures include spend on delivery of basic skills training (English and maths) by all providers and those with Ofsted Grade 1 and 2. Aside from funding for apprenticeships, allocations to providers are not ring-fenced for specific types of provision. This follows our approach of encouraging freedom and flexibility, where providers have discretion to use their allocation to best meet the needs of local learners and employers.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Academic year 
			  2012/13 2011/12 2010/11 
			 Basic skills provision 346 318 304 
			 of which: Ofsted Grade 1 and 2 providers 246 225 212 
			 of which: All other providers 100 93 91 
			 Notes: 1. Basic skills is English and maths only (it does not include English for speakers of other languages) and includes English and maths training as part of an apprenticeship. 2. OFSTED grades are as at November 2013. 3. This data does not include basic skills training undertaken as part of the Employer Ownership Pilot. 4.The spend on basic skills is estimated based on data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

British Business Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in his Department work for the British Business Bank on a (a) full-time and (b) part-time basis.

Matthew Hancock: There are 63 full-time equivalent people employed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills working for the British Business Bank. There are currently no part time workers.

British Business Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials in his Department had with (i) business groups and (ii) individual companies on the British Business Bank between 1 June 2012 and 31 December 2013.

Matthew Hancock: Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations up to 30 June 2013 are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website which you can access using the following hyperlink. Information for July to December 2013 will be published in due course.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments% 5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills& publication_type=transparency-data
	Information on any meetings between officials and business groups and individual companies on the British Business Bank is not held centrally.

Literacy

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on the provision of adult literacy services in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to support adult literacy.

Matthew Hancock: It is the Government's priority to ensure that all adults in England have the basic literacy and numeracy skills they need to find and sustain employment and which can also contribute to other benefits, such as improved health and well-being.
	We aim to improve the current level of literacy of working age adults. Since August 2012, we have fully funded any adult to complete an English GCSE where they don't have one as well as continuing to support people to achieve other English and ESOL qualifications which help them progress to that level.
	Our reforms to further education (FE) will improve the quality of the teaching work force, reward the best providers and ensure learners are stretched to achieve the best they can.
	In August 2013, we introduced a bursary scheme which offers up to £9,000 to the brightest and best graduates to train as specialist teachers and teach English in FE.
	From spring 2014 we will be funding a pilot for a continuous professional development programme to enhance the skills of English teachers to teach to GCSE level and identify innovative and best approach. Also, the Centres of Excellence in Teacher Training will be identifying and disseminate best practice in teaching English to post-16 students.
	From 2015, new English GCSE qualifications will require a closer focus on essential skills like spelling and grammar.
	All intermediate apprentices will be required to work towards achieving a Level 2 in English from August 2014. All young people undertaking a traineeship will be required to study English unless they have already achieved a Level 2.
	In the December 2013 autumn statement we announced that we will pilot a requirement that young people aged 18-21 without a Level 2 qualification in English and maths undertake training to improve these vital skills from the very outset of a claim for jobseeker's allowance.
	In June 2013 we announced that, from April 2014, unemployed JSA claimants with very poor spoken English language skills will be required to train to bring their skills up to the level expected by employers. Claimants will be mandated by Jobcentres to English language training with a FE provider.
	The amount spent on the provision of adult literacy services (English basic skills training from the adult skills budget) for the past three academic years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 AY £ million 
			 2010/11 153 
			 2011/12 164 
			 2012/13 178 
			 Notes: 1. Figures do not include English for Speakers of Other Languages and include English training as part of an apprenticeship. 2. This data does not include English training undertaken as part of the Employer Ownership pilot. 3. The spend is estimated based on data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Railways: Freight

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential contribution of increased rail freight capacity to (a) regional economic growth and (b) economic growth in West Yorkshire.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has had no such discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin).

Research: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the science and research budget for the next financial year.

David Willetts: The Department published allocations for the periods concerned in the booklet "The Allocation of Science and Research Funding 2011-12 to 2014-15" (20 December 2010):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allocation-of-science-and-research-funding-2011-12-to-2014-15
	This gives the total budget for 2014-15 as £4.57 billion.
	The Department has also announced additional allocations since the spending review through fiscal events totalling £609 million in 2014-15.

Space Technology

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential of synergetic air-breathing rocket engines for placing large-scale solar stations in geo-stationary orbit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential of synergetic air-breathing rocket engines for improving the speed and efficiency of travel; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: This Government has announced it will invest £60 million in synergetic air-breathing rocket engines. This decision was based on a detailed economic assessment of the uses of their technology. The new space planes that these engines can power will, in principle, be capable of delivering components into orbit for assembly into a range of larger scale space structures, including those designed for solar energy applications. The engines in new space planes could provide a means of reusable space access, and also improve flight times across the globe.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, Action Point 6, whether a finalised engagement plan has been produced with Norstec and CORES; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Following initial development work on a separate engagement strategy it was decided that COREs would feed into the work already planned by Norstec focusing on events around Global Wind Day on 15 June 2014. Norstec will lead on development of an engagement strategy.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Government's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, published in August 2013, Action Point 4, how many Share Fair events for supply chain opportunities have been organised and delivered to date.

Michael Fallon: Since the inception of the Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind, there have been two share fairs. The first took place on 13 June 2013 and the second on 5 November 2013, at the RenewableUK Conferences in Manchester and Birmingham respectively. We expect this to be an ongoing event to enable industry to publicise supply chain opportunities in the offshore wind sector.

Corporation Tax

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the public's perception of the influence of Ernst & Young on the reform of corporation tax legislation; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to better tax policy making and recognises the importance when developing policy of consulting with all interested parties, as set out in the Corporate Tax Road Map. The Government takes all views into consideration, but ultimately decisions on tax are for Ministers. We do not therefore feel that it is appropriate or necessary to conduct an assessment of the public’s perception of specific companies’ influence on corporation tax legislation.

Financial Stability Board

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government contributes to the Global Financial Stability Board in (a) staff and (b) money terms.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Stability Board, is a separate legal entity which is currently hosted and funded by the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. The UK Government does not make any contributions of money or personnel towards the Board secretariat.
	The Government and UK independent regulators are represented at the Board by the relevant officials. It is currently chaired by the Governor of the Bank of England.
	The Financial Stability Board may decide to raise subscriptions from members in the future to cover its costs. It is for that reason that the Government amended the Financial Services and Markets Act (2000) to give the Treasury the power to direct the regulators to collect fees from the financial services industry to cover the costs of the Treasury's membership of the Financial Stability Board.

Income Tax: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the UK of implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 9 January 2014
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, the hon. Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 390W. The UK Government's second annual report on the implementation of the fiscal aspects of the Scotland Act 2012, to be published before 1 May 2014, will include any revisions to the estimated costs for implementing the Scottish rate of income tax.

Tax Avoidance: Beer

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the amount of revenue lost to the Exchequer through the avoidance of VAT and excise duty on beer in the last year for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Estimates of total revenue losses associated with the beer illicit market for the UK are published in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps’. These estimates cannot be disaggregated.
	The Government announced at autumn statement that it would introduce a registration scheme for alcohol wholesalers which will be fully implemented by 2018. This will help to reduce alcohol fraud though better regulation of the wholesale sector which is the point at which illicit products are normally distributed.
	The Beer Tax Gap published in 2013 can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2013.pdf
	The associated tables are found here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-table2013.xls

Taxation: Environment Protection

Dan Byles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of what the effects of the carbon price floor would be on consumer electricity bills in each of the first five years of its operation if all other factors affecting the price were unchanged;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of what the effects would be of the carbon price floor on average wholesale electricity prices in each of the first five years of its operation if all other factors affecting the price remained unchanged.

Nicky Morgan: The Government’s latest assessment of the impact of climate change and energy policies on consumer energy prices and bills was in March 20131. This sets out impacts for 2013, showing that the carbon price floor was estimated to add around £1 per megawatt hour (MWh) or 2% to wholesale electricity prices in 2013 (2012 prices, not including VAT) around £5 (2012 prices, not including VAT), or less than 1%, to the average household energy (gas and electricity) bill in 2013. The Government has not estimated what the impact would be in subsequent years if all other factors affecting the electricity price remained unchanged.
	l https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts- of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills

Biofuels

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much palm oil was imported for bio-fuels in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Robert Goodwill: The latest near complete dataset available "Biofuel statistics: Year 5 (2012 to 2013), report 5" suggests that in 2012-13 approximately 1.407 million litres of biodiesel derived from palm oil was reported by suppliers. As a proportion of overall supply of biofuels this represents 0.1%. The data indicates that all biodiesel derived from palm oil was imported.
	A full year's data for biofuels feedstocks for 2013-14 is not yet available. "Biofuel statistics: Year 6 (2013 to 2014), report 1" records that no biodiesel derived from palm oil was reported in the first quarter, although this is report one of six and therefore contains an incomplete dataset.
	Statistics covering the volume of biofuel supplied by feedstock and country of origin under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation are available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/biofuels/

Bus Services: Visual Impairment

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 to oblige bus operators to provide audio guidance on alighting points for passengers using their services, with particular reference to the needs of blind people and the visually impaired.

Stephen Hammond: I recognise that many people find audio and visual announcements useful and understand the social benefits of having such systems on buses.
	However, we have no plans to make these systems mandatory through amendments to existing legislation as the business case for operators cannot be demonstrated and the Government is unwilling to force financial burdens of this kind on the industry in the current financial climate.
	We will continue to work with bus industry stakeholders to identify the best solutions to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the full addresses of the 339 dwellings and 21 community facilities that will be demolished if High Speed 2 proceeds as the Government currently plans.

Robert Goodwill: The addresses of the 339 dwellings and 21 community facilities which will be demolished are set out in Section 2 of the Environmental Statement Volume 2 Community Forum Area (CFA) reports. The CFA reports and map books are published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-volume-2-community-forum-area-reports-and-map-books/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-volume-2-community-forum-area-reports-and-map-books
	Printed copies of all hybrid Bill and Environmental Statement documents have been deposited at the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department will re-commence the work on a direct Heathrow Airport link to High Speed 2, which was suspended in January 2013.

Robert Goodwill: The Government supports a direct high speed connection to Heathrow. We consider however that further work on a link to Heathrow should await the final conclusions and recommendation of the Airports Commission. We have therefore paused work on the link until the Commission's work has been concluded. The recent publication of the Commission's Interim Report does not change this.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) individuals and (b) organisations have contacted HS2 Ltd or his Department to ask for an extension to the consultation period on the environmental statement on High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: Since the launch of the consultation on the HS2 environmental statement on 25 November 2013, the Department for Transport has received correspondence on the length of the consultation period from the individuals and organisations specified in the following table. It is important to note that in some cases the Members of Parliament listed below have forwarded on the views of their constituents. Where no organisation is specified, the entry refers to someone that the Department believes made contact in an individual capacity. It is possible that the consultation length may have been raised in other correspondence alongside other issues in a few cases, and these may not have been captured in this table given the time available.
	
		
			 Name Organisation 
			 Steve Rodrick Chilterns Conservation Board 
			 Paul Lankester Stratford district council 
			 David Liddington MP Member of Parliament 
			 Andrea Leadsom MP Member of Parliament 
			 Cllr Izzi Seccombe Leader of Warwickshire county council 
			 John Gladwin FCA Chiltern Society 
			 John Bercow MP Member of Parliament 
			 Cheryl Gillan MP Member of Parliament 
			 Chris Eaglen n/a 
			 Ken Clarke n/a 
			 Rae Sloan n/a 
			 Mr Neave n/a

Railways: Fares

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the decision to limit the amount train operating companies are able to vary rail fares to two per cent in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015; and if he will provide a breakdown of that cost.

Stephen Hammond: The decision to reduce the amount train operators can vary rail fares to 2% was one of a number of measures announced in the Government’s Fares and Ticketing Review that will benefit rail passengers. This measure will require Government to adjust levels of franchise compensation, and the amount to be paid will be determined through negotiations with train operators.

Railways: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total amount of (a) publicly-funded and (b) private investment in the railways since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: Details of publicly funded investment in Britain's Railways between 2010-11 and 2012-13 as reported by Network Rail can be found on Network Rail's website at the following link:
	https://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/Annual-return/
	The link includes funding provided for support of the railway infrastructure for England, Wales and Scotland by both the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland This information includes all enhancements to the railways and associated infrastructure for Great Britain, excluding Transport for London and Crossrail expenditure.
	Details of Crossrail spend can be found on the ORR's website. Crossrail spend is listed as part of the ‘Other Government Support' column:
	http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/htmi/8752da4c-fe20-4c1c-8a3d-5afd402f3f1d
	Other information is available as part of the Department for Transport's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209980/annual-report-and-accounts-2012-2013.pdf
	Details of private investment in Great Britain's railways are available on ORR's website at the following link:
	http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/5cc4eb14-fe68-4b72-aebf-81625df90d86

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which existing rail franchise contracts (a) have been or (b) he plans will be renewed by direct award to the incumbent operator; and at what stage negotiations with the incumbent operators has reached in each such case. [Official Report, 17 January 2014, Vol. 573, c. 15MC.]

Stephen Hammond: As per the franchising timetable announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on 26 March 2013, a number of new franchise contracts need to be negotiated via Direct Award. These are new franchises, not extensions of existing contracts.
	Direct Awards have already been negotiated with Essex Thameside (c2c) and First Great Western. The contracts began in May 2013 and October 2013 and will run until September 2014 and July 2016 respectively.
	The Department has recently received the proposal for Greater Anglia, the Direct Award for which will commence July 2014 and run until October 2016. We are in negotiation with Northern and First Capital Connect whose Direct Awards will run from April 2014 to February 2016 and April 2014 to September 2014 respectively.
	The Department is preparing the Requests for Proposal for TransPennine (April 2015—February 2016); Intercity West Coast (November 2014—November 2017); South Eastern (October 2014—June 2018) and South West Trains (February 2017—April 2019). We are in initial discussions with London Midland (September 2015—June 2017); East Midlands Trains (April 2015—October 2017) and Cross Country (October 2016—October 2019).

Railways: Franchises

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits to rail passengers of management contracts with operators.

Stephen Hammond: The Government agrees with the Brown Review that there may be a case for management contracts where a franchisee is facing major and sustained disruption because of infrastructure works, and where revenue growth will be less important than maintaining services through the disruption, such as in the recently tendered TSGN franchise.

Rescue Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of shifts at maritime rescue co-ordination centres were staffed at below risk-assessed levels in 2013.

Stephen Hammond: In 2013 2,560 out of 11,680 shifts were staffed at below risk assessed levels across Her Majesty's Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCC). This equates to 21.9% of all shifts.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty's Coastguard is using the current long-established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Belfast was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in December 2013.

Stephen Hammond: During December 2013 Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels on 11 occasions out of 62 shifts.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty's Coastguard is using the current long-established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Liverpool was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in December 2013.

Stephen Hammond: During December 2013 Liverpool Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels on 15 occasions out of 62 shifts.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty's Coastguard is using the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Rescue Services: Stornoway

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in December 2013.

Stephen Hammond: During December 2013 Stornoway Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels on 13 occasions out of 62 shifts.
	Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty's Coastguard is using the current long-established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Virgin Trains

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what fees have been paid by the Government to Virgin West Coast since the introduction of the management contract in December 2012.

Stephen Hammond: Virgin West Coast retains 1% of revenue as per the contracted terms. This is the “fee” as agreed in the management contract.
	For the relevant 16 week period ending 31 March 2013 within the financial year 2012-13 (ending 31 March 2013), Virgin West Coast Trains “fee” for the provision of the Franchise Services totalled £2,860,000.
	In the same period, the Government received £24,313,000 as a premium payment from Virgin West Coast.
	Cleared, audited accounts are not yet available for the tax year 2013-14.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to exempt all children from the proposed residence test for civil legal aid.

Shailesh Vara: The Government believes that individuals, including children, should in principle have a strong connection to the UK in order to benefit from civil legal aid. Therefore as set out in the Government response, ‘Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps’, we intend to proceed with our proposal that applicants for civil legal aid will need to be lawfully resident in the UK, Crown Dependencies or British Overseas Territories at the time they apply and have resided there lawfully for at least 12 months in the past.
	In addition to exceptions for serving members of Her Majesty's UK Armed Forces and their immediate families, and for asylum seekers, we set out a number of modifications to the test in Next Steps. For any case, children under 12 months old would not be required to have 12 months of previous continuous residence. The test would also not apply in certain types of case which broadly relate to an individual's liberty, where the individual is particularly vulnerable or where the case relates to the protection of children.
	We believe the exceptions we have made strike the right balance between delivering a legal aid system that is fair to taxpayers and helps command public confidence, while still ensuring legal aid remains available for cases which justify it.

Legal Profession: Bank Services

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the Caisse Des Règlements Pécuniaires de Avocates (CARPA) system in operation in France and its potential applicability to the UK.

Shailesh Vara: In its consultation exercise ‘Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales’
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111121205348/http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/legal-aid-reform-consultation.pdf
	the Government examined options for alternative sources of legal aid funding, including consideration of the CARPA schemes in France. In its subsequent consultation response, ‘Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales: the Government Response’
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111121205348/http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/legal-aid-reform-government-response.pdf
	the Government concluded that neither the CARPA model nor the related Interest on Lawyers' Trust Account schemes, operating in the United States of America and Australia, should be pursued at that time. The Government currently has no plans to revisit the viability of CARPA schemes for England and Wales.

Magistrates' Courts: Prestatyn

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish all plans to upgrade Prestatyn Magistrates' Court made in the last six years; and what the current status of these plans is.

Shailesh Vara: In addition to ongoing maintenance work at Prestatyn magistrates court, in 2009-10 a new front entrance was installed to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act and in 2012 Health and Safety work was carried out in the custody suite to remove ligature points.
	In December 2010, as part of the HMCTS Court Estate Reform Programme (CERP), it was announced that Rhyl County Court would close with its work transferring to Prestatyn magistrates court. Since then HMCTS has continued to review its estate to ensure it meets operational requirements. As part of this work HMCTS has submitted two planning applications to Denbighshire County Council for upgrade works at Prestatyn magistrates court to inform feasibility planning. The documents supporting the applications are available for viewing through the Council's online planning application search facility.

Abortion

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he holds on (a) the number and proportion of medical practitioners who authorise abortion on ground C who are qualified mental health practitioners and (b) the number and proportion of cases where an abortion is certified on ground C in which the woman seeking the abortion has met the authorising medical practitioner.

Jane Ellison: Information on the number and proportion of medical practitioners authorising abortions under ground C (section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act) who are qualified mental health practitioners is not collected centrally.
	In 2012, the latest year for which data is available, the proportion of ground C abortions where one or more of the certifying doctors stated that they have seen and/or examined the pregnant woman was 46% (83,930) cases. It should be noted that where this information is not completed on form HSA4, the default position is that neither doctor saw or examined the pregnant woman. This data should therefore be considered with this caveat as not all doctors have specifically indicated whether or not they have met the woman.
	In November 2013, the chief medical officer for England wrote to all doctors reminding them of their duties under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended).

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2013, Official Report, column 349W, on alcoholic drinks: misuse, on what date the Government and Partners Alcohol Working Group last met; when the next meeting is scheduled to take place; and which organisations have been invited to attend.

Jane Ellison: The Government and Partners Alcohol Working Group last met on 17 June 2013.
	The Government remains committed to engaging with partner organisations. Officials continue to meet with partners to discuss alcohol policy and will be scheduling further meetings with relevant organisations in due course.

Behavioural Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases of Asperger's syndrome were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many cases of bipolar disorder were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many cases of anti-social personality disorder were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The data requested is not held centrally by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	However, in relation to cases of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines indicate that 3% and 9% of young people in the United Kingdom now have some form of ADHD, depending on the criteria used. In September 2008 NICE published guidance ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Diagnosis and management of ADHD in children, young people and adults’:
	http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/12061/42107/42107.pdf
	This was reviewed in 2011. NICE'S conclusion at that time was that there was no new evidence that would invalidate the existing recommendations.

Cancer: Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, columns 248-9W, on cancer: drugs, what steps NHS England plans to take to improve the (a) collection and (b) analysis of data about spending through the Cancer Drugs Fund;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with NHS England about future publication arrangements for expenditure information on the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Norman Lamb: NHS England has informed us that data on the applications approved through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) are reported monthly by the four regional/area teams that operationally manage the fund. This information is published quarterly on NHS England's website.
	Alongside this, financial spend data are received monthly from each of the NHS England area teams and reviewed at a monthly national CDF team meeting. This information allows NHS England to review invoiced spend to date (from NHS trusts), review each region's predictions for end of year spend and refine national predictions of end of year spend.
	The national prediction of spend is developed by NHS England's Chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group. It is informed, by data on applications received to date as well as predications of likely future demand and costs associated with the drugs available within the national CDF priority list.
	We understand that summary expenditure information showing invoiced spend to date, regional predicted spend and the current national predicted spend on the CDF will be published by NHS England in the next few weeks.

Cervical Cancer

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve cervical cancer prevention following the recently published Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Jane Ellison: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer. The national HPV vaccination programme, which began in 2008, protects against the strains of HPV which cause 70% of cervical cancer and has among the highest vaccine uptake rates in the world. Evidence from clinical trials has demonstrated a very high vaccine efficacy against the pre-cursors of cervical cancer.
	In addition, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme aims to prevent cervical cancer by detecting and treating abnormalities of the cervix which may have gone on to develop into cancer. Over 3.5 million women are screened every year in England, and experts estimate the programme saves around 4,500 lives a year.
	The programme is currently being modernised to provide a more personalised service to women and to make it more cost-effective, and from April 2014, HPV testing as triage for women with low grade screening results and for women already treated for abnormalities will be routine. A world leading pilot of HPV testing as primary screening is also under way which, if proven to be successful, will provide an even more personalised, more cost-effective service to women.
	Public Health England has work in hand to improve the performance and quality of the programme, including work to improve screening rates in areas with low uptake.

Drugs: Misuse

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new psychoactive substances have been identified by the National Poisons Information Service in each month since May 2010; and how many such substances have been referred to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

Jane Ellison: Identification of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) requires analytical confirmation of exposure; this is achieved by identification of the responsible NPS in biological samples from the patient, such as blood or urine. This is not performed as part of routine clinical care and there is no current mechanism for obtaining such analyses on a United Kingdom-wide basis for public health surveillance purposes. As a result it is unusual for NHS staff or National Poisons information Service (NPIS) to be able to identify a NPS formally. Since May 2010 there has been two occasions where NPIS has been able to work with NHS clinicians and an analytical laboratory to provide laboratory identification of a specific NPS. Both episodes were reported either to Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs or the UK Focal Point and subsequently to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
	In addition, the Government's Forensic Early Warning System identified 10 substances in the UK in 2012-13. These were reported to the EMCDDA via a submission from the Focal Point.

General Practitioners

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the potential effect on patient care of raising NHS general practice funding from 8.5 per cent to 11 per cent by 2017.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not made a direct assessment of the potential effect of raising NHS general practice funding from 8.5% to 11% by 2017.
	Primary medical care is the responsibility of NHS England and it is for that body to determine the level of funding required to deliver those services in order to meet the needs of patients.
	NHS England is developing a strategic framework for commissioning of primary care services, strengthening general practice and enabling it to play an even more pivotal role at the heart of more integrated systems of out-of-hospital care for patients and local communities.
	The Government recognises the central role that primary care has to play in helping keep people healthy, supporting proactive management of long-term health needs and reducing the need for hospital admissions. The Government will set out, later this year, plans for improving care for vulnerable older people, including the central role that general practitioners have to play in helping people to stay healthy and live independently.

General Practitioners

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were in each (a) parliamentary constituency, (b) local authority and (c) region; and how many patients each such GP was responsible for in each year since 2005.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected in the requested format.
	Information is available showing the number of general practitioners (GPs) in each strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) area along with the average number of patients per GP in each PCT area for the years requested.
	A copy of this information has been placed in the Library.

Health: Children

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of levels of fitness of school children (a) nationally and (b) by region.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not made an estimate on the levels of fitness of school children either nationally or by region, as we do not collect this data.
	We know that too many children are overweight and we want more children to do regular exercise. That is why we have committed to giving primary schools £180 million of ring-fenced funding to improve physical education and sport so that all pupils develop healthy, active lifestyles.

Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Food Standards Agency spent on (a) the sampling regime for testing for horsemeat in 2013 and (b) sampling horse carcasses for phenylbutazone residue in 2013 after the 100 per cent sampling regime was introduced.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) set up a United Kingdom-wide sampling programme of beef products in early 2013, initially in two phases. Products were tested for both horse and pig DNA and, where this was found, further analysis was carried out for phenylbutazone. Recommendation 2013/99/EU established a European Union-wide co-ordinated control plan, in which member states were asked to test certain foods marketed and/or labelled as containing beef for the presence of horse DNA. These sampling requests were incorporated into the UK survey as a third phase.
	The FSA has met the cost of sampling and analysis and a contribution of £50 towards the costs of sample purchase and handling for food samples. The combined costs of sampling and testing for horse DNA and phenylbutazone residues in the various phases:
	Phase 1—£113,800 (224 samples collected)
	Phase 2—£73,800 (140 samples collected)
	Phase 3—£33,300 (150 samples collected)
	(Costs for phases 1 and 2 include testing for pig DNA. Costs for phase 3 include the partial reimbursement from the EU to cover the costs of the horse DNA tests carried out under Recommendation 2013/99/EU).
	In addition to the above sampling, the Agency's National Coordinated Food Sampling Grants Programme for 2013-14 includes a priority for meat authenticity samples and an additional £700,000 was made available to support this.
	The combined costs for sampling horse carcases and testing for phenylbutazone residues from January 2013 to the end of November 2013, since the 100% sampling regime was introduced, and which the FSA has met are £700,800. A proportion of these costs were reimbursed by the EU under Recommendation 2013/99/EU for testing carried out as part of the EU wide survey.

Nurses: Training

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing training places were provided in each region in the last year for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: The following table contains the number of nurse training places that were provided in 2012-13 in England. The 2013-14 data is not yet available. The table includes the students enrolled on the degree and diploma courses.
	
		
			 Strategic health authority region Total nursing commissions (number) 
			 North East 991 
			 North West 3,036 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,681 
			 East Midlands 1,387 
			 West Midlands 2,105 
			 East of England 1,469 
			 London 3,093 
			 South East Coast 1,065 
			 South Central 1,115 
			 South West 1,277 
			 Total 17,219 
			 Source: Multi professional education and training budget monitoring returns.

Tuberculosis

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative to amend public health law to permit the detention of individuals who have infectious TB and refuse to comply with prescribed treatment.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 enables local authorities to apply to a justice of the peace (JP) for an order to detain an individual with an infectious disease that might pose a risk to human health (including tuberculosis) in hospital or another suitable establishment. In making such an order, the JP must be satisfied that the following criteria are met:
	the individual is or may be infected;
	the infection is one which presents or could present significant harm to human health;
	there is a risk that the individual might infect others; and
	it is necessary to make the order to remove or reduce that risk.
	In 2010-11 and 2011-12, the periods for which information is currently available, there were 13 such orders made in relation to individuals with tuberculosis in England.

Domestic Violence and Rape

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General when he last met the Secretary of State for the Home Department to discuss changes in the number of domestic violence and rape cases being referred by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service; and what action followed those meetings.

Oliver Heald: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a key priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and, in 2012-13, the conviction rates for cases flagged as domestic violence and rape were at record highs for the second year running.
	On 11 December 2013, the Director of Public Prosecutions and I attended the Inter-Ministerial Group meeting on VAWG, chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and the Minister of State for Crime Prevention, which discussed the falling numbers of referrals of domestic violence rape from the police to the CPS.
	The Inter-Ministerial Group on VAWG requested a further update in 2014 on progress against the six-point action plan outlined by me in a written parliamentary answer to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) on 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 141W.

Extradition: Republic of Ireland

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for extradition warrants from the Republic of Ireland have been made by her Department from 2005 to date.

James Brokenshire: The European arrest warrant (EAW) scheme is managed by the National Crime Agency (NCA); although policy oversight is the responsibility of Home Office Ministers. The NCA are responsible for transmitting EAWs to another member state, and I have been informed by them that as EAW requests are often sent to more than one EU member state simultaneously, it is not possible from current systems to provide totals for requests made to a single member state.
	The NCA have advised, however, that the number of people arrested in the Republic of Ireland, and surrendered to the UK, pursuant to an EAW issued by the UK is:
	
		
			  Arrests Surrenders 
			 2009-10 29 24 
			 2010-11 30 22 
			 2011-12 18 20 
			 2012-13 31 24 
		
	
	Due to the way data were recorded prior to one April 2009, it is not possible to provide details of the number of applications for EAWs to the Republic of Ireland prior to this period.

G4S

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total amount her Department has paid to date to G4S for services provided in relation to the Terrorism Prevention and Investigative Measures regime; and whether her Department's contract with G4S includes performance-related incentives.

James Brokenshire: Electronic monitoring of terrorism prevention and investigation measures (TPIM) subjects is provided and paid for through the Ministry of Justice's contract with G4S. However, the specific information requested relating to the amount that has been paid to G4S for services provided in relation to the TPIM regime, and details of the terms of the contract, are commercially confidential. The Government is obliged to treat this information as confidential and to disclose it would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of both the Government and the companies with whom it enters into contracts.

France

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made on the formation of a combined joint expeditionary force with the French; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: Good progress is being made to establish a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) capability that meets the level of ambition described in the Lancaster House treaty. Exercises over the past three years, in particular the annual flagship exercises, have led to significant levels of integration and interoperability. Both sides are now working on the development of command and control and logistic structures that will enable the UK and France to conduct Combined Joint Operations. A series of intensive exercises in 2015 and 2016 will test and validate these structures, which are on track to achieve, as planned, in 2016. The framework that is being developed will enable UK and French forces to deploy more rapidly in the event of a crisis, with greater capability than might be achieved individually.

ICT

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises recommended by the Network Technical Authority for the G-cloud route to market have been granted access by his Department.

Philip Dunne: The G-Cloud framework is managed by the Cabinet Office Crown Commercial Services Information and Communications Technology Category Team which is responsible for the selection of suppliers included on the framework. As such, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Network Technical Authority does not approve contractors prior to their being placed on the G-Cloud framework. Therefore, this information is not held centrally by the MOD and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, under the Government Transparency agenda, the Cabinet Office publishes data online about G-Cloud sales on a monthly basis via the following link. Details of contracts placed by the MOD through the G-Cloud framework that fall within the Transparency Agenda are included in this data.
	http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/about/sales-information/

Piracy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's plans are for continuing anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian Ocean.

Mark Francois: The UK participates in three international counter piracy operations. The EU NAVFOR's Operation Atalanta, and NATO's Operation Ocean Shield both operate off the coast of Somalia, whilst the multinational Combined Maritime Task Force 151 operates both in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
	The Ministry of Defence provides the headquarters in Northwood for Operation Atalanta, along with an Operational Commander from the Royal Navy. There are also regular commitments of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships to the operation, the last of which was RFA Lyme Bay in November 2013. The Royal Navy intends to provide further support during 2014. Currently the mandate for the operation expires in 2014.
	Operational control of Ocean Shield is conducted by the NATO Maritime Component Command based at Northwood, and UK ships participate in the mission on an opportunity basis. The current mandate for the operation expires at the end of 2014.
	The UK provides a one star commander and a ship to the US-led Combined Maritime Force 151 based in Bahrain, on an enduring basis. The task force conducts counter piracy operations as part of its maritime security role.

Procurement

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises can bid for procurement contracts without being subcontractors for larger companies.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) set out its commitment to improving engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the 'National Security Through Technology' White Paper (CM 8278) published in February 2012, which details a range of measures aimed at increasing the value of defence business going to SMEs. In financial year 2012-13 at least 12,000 SMEs were direct suppliers to the MOD and many more were active as subcontractors within the supply chain.
	The practical steps we are taking to facilitate access to MOD business by SMEs include standardising and simplifying our procurement systems. We have also increased the level of direct access that SMEs have to the MOD through, for example, the Defence Supplier SME Forum which I chair. This gives SMEs an opportunity to raise issues and ask questions directly of Ministers and senior MOD officials.
	Progress on these and our other SME initiatives is regularly monitored and published in the MOD SME Action plan, which can be accessed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-business-plan-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises

Employment: Parents

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are in place to support the parents of disabled children in finding access to work.

Michael Penning: Jobcentre Plus advisers offer a variety of support to all claimants including parents of disabled children, which is tailored to individuals at the most appropriate point in their claim. This includes help with job search, careers advice, boosting literacy, numeracy and language skills, other skills training, work experience and setting up a business.
	There is financial help through the flexible support fund for child care costs to enable parents to carry out work related activities or to manage the transition to work.
	Once in work, tax credits and universal credit can provide assistance for parents with child care costs. Parents with disabled children under 18 can also request flexible working; they can make an agreement with their employer to work in a way that best fits their other responsibilities while also ensuring that the job gets done.

Food Banks

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of figures recently released by the Trussell Trust on the use of food banks in the UK;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 235W, on food banks, whether his Department has seen any evidence linking welfare reforms to the increased use of food banks.

Esther McVey: The Government does not monitor the use of food banks and has no plans to do so. We have seen no robust evidence linking welfare reforms to the increased use of food banks.

Jobseeker's Allowance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of new applications for jobseeker's allowance were made online in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Barrow and Furness constituency in the last 12 months.

Esther McVey: The official measure for JSA Online is calculated using data from MISP (Management Information System Programme), unfortunately this data is not available below national level so the information you requested is from the ADS (Atomic Data Store) data.
	The figures for England are as follows, as requested; however ADS data is only available at district and jobcentre level so we have provided the data as close as possible to your request.
	The data is not available by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			 JSA online claims 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013 (12 months) 
			  Total JSA online claims received Total JSA claims received % claimed online 
			 England 1,793,490 2,553,886 70.2 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 66,460 92,425 71.9 
			 Barrow Jobcentre 2,698 3,977 67.8

National Insurance Contributions

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with local authority associations in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland with respect to potential increased national insurance contributions resulting from the single tier pension.

Steve Webb: have not met with the local authority associations as this is a matter for HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), has had meetings with representatives from the Local Government Association where the impact of the abolition of contracting-out has been discussed, and officials in DWP and HM Treasury have also recently met with Local Government Association officials.
	Following a commitment made by Lord Freud in the other place, during Second Reading of the Pensions Bill 2013 - 14, officials in DWP and HM Treasury are holding a roundtable meeting on Tuesday 14 January 2014 with representatives from the Local Government Associations to discuss the impact of the abolition of contracting-out.
	The Government would expect further discussions to take place with relevant stakeholders when Departmental Budgets are set for 2016-17 onwards, when the abolition of contracting-out will take effect.

National Insurance Contributions

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of increased national insurance contributions as a result of the Single Tier Pension for local authorities in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We do not have such an estimate. The Government has not set a fixed spending envelope, nor individual departmental budgets, beyond 2015-16. As contracting out will be abolished in 2016-17, the impact falls outside of the current settlements. Any spending review in the next Parliament will, of course, consider the impact of increased national insurance contributions in the round.
	Table 6.1 of the impact assessment which accompanies the latest version of the Pensions Bill 2013 -14 includes estimates of increased costs for all employers as a result of the abolition of contracting-out, which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254151/a-pensions-bill-single-tier-ia-oct-2013.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been loaned to benefits claimants as short-term benefit advances in each month since April 2013; and how much was loaned under the crisis loan scheme in each of the 12 months up to April 2013.

Steve Webb: Crisis loans were made from a specific fund to meet immediate short-term needs in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster when a person had insufficient resources to prevent a serious risk to the health or safety of themselves or their family.
	Unlike crisis loans, short term benefit advances are not loans from a separate fund,
	but are advances against future benefit payment in certain specific circumstances. Where possible, benefit is put into payment rather than offering an advance. There has to be a likely benefit entitlement in order for an advance of benefit to be paid. Because of these factors, it is impossible to directly compare these advances to crisis loans for alignment to benefit.
	Table 1 shows the monthly amounts advanced since they were introduced.
	Table 2 shows the monthly expenditure on all crisis loans in 2012-13.
	
		
			 Table 1: Monthly amounts of short term benefit advances (includes amounts advanced to claimants of Universal Credit) 
			 Month Expenditure (£) 
			 2013  
			 April 297,000 
			 May 437,000 
			 June 378,000 
			 July 504,000 
			 August 484,000 
			 September 433,000 
			 October 387,000 
			 November 367,000 
			 December 1— 
			 1 Figures not yet available Note: These numbers have been gathered from the DWP Central Payments System and have been rounded to the nearest thousand. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Monthly expenditure on crisis loans in 2012-13 
			 Month Expenditure (£) 
			 2012  
			 April 8,572,300 
			 May 9,412,500 
			 June 8,956,000 
			 July 9,533,100 
			 August 9,453,500 
			 September 8,881,200 
			 October 9,765,200 
			 November 8,225,800 
			 December 6,612,600 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 8,712,500 
			 February 7,547,600 
			 March 7,097,900 
			 Notes: 1. The Crisis Loan information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Crisis loan expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £100.

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target timeframe is for processing applications for (a) disability living allowance and (b) employment and support allowance; and whether his Department is currently meeting those targets (i) nationally, (ii) in each region and (iii) in each constituency.

Michael Penning: As at November year to date (YTD) the Department is achieving clearance times nationally for processing disability living allowance (DLA) child applications. The target timeframe for processing DLA child cases is 79% of claims cleared in 40 days.
	Employment and support allowance (ESA) clearance times are also being achieved nationally and by five out of six Benefit Directorate groups. The target timeframe for processing ESA claims is 85% of claims cleared in 16 days.
	We are unable to provide the management information by constituency as our management information systems do not report this level of detail and to do so would be at disproportionate cost.
	Due to the roll-out of personal independent payment (PIP) the DLA data refers to child cases only as there are no longer new DLA claims for ages 16 to 64 processed at the regional disability centres.
	The following table summarises the latest performance available as at November 2013.
	
		
			 Speed of clearance disability living allowance (DLA) child cases and employment and support allowance (ESA) 
			 DWP Benefit Directorate performance 
			  November YTD (%) 
			 DLA  
			 DLA child cases 84.6 
			   
			 ESA  
			 National 87.5 
			 Central England 88.7 
			 London and Home Counties 83.0 
			 North East England 89.3 
			 North West 86.1 
			 Scotland 88.1 
			 Southern England and Wales 89.2 
			 Sources: 1. Management Information System Programme (MISP). MISP is a departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice. 2. Department for Work and Pensions—Disability Living Allowance Management Information Statistics (RDA80123 report).

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has excluded existing IT suppliers involved in the universal credit process from tendering for the digital solution part of the Universal Credit IT system.

Esther McVey: Capability and value for money are at the heart of our contracting process. Existing suppliers IT suppliers are not excluded from tendering for the digital solution part of the universal credit IT system. If they are entitled to bid the Department is legally obliged to consider them. The precise requirements for this part of the UC Programme are still being developed.